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Enjoyment of the sport produces small town Mississippi football legends

By

Rick Cleveland

As another Mississippi high school football season begins, this question looms as pertinent as ever: What is it about Friday nights in our state that produces the greatest players in the history of the sport?

How did small-town Mississippi high school football produce the leading passer in NFL history (Brett Favre), the leading receiver (Jerry Rice), the leading scorer (Rice again), the second leading rusher (Walter Payton) and the patriarch of the first family of American football (Archie Manning)?